Final Prep for the Tour of California: Inside the BMC Service Course

New Acura wagons are stacked vertically to make use of all available space. "We pay rent for the space up to the roof," says Gavin Chilcott, and the service course makes use of every cubic inch of it.

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When space comes at a premium

Vertical storage space is as carefully and fully used as the floor space in the service course, which features 20-foot-high ceilings.

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Professionalism, organization

Chief operating officer Gavin Chilcott discusses vendor contracts with Scott Nydam. Chilcott's emphasis on professionalism and organization is evident throughout the service course, where even on a day when no visitors were expected all personnel were outfitted in current team-issue lululemon apparel.

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Prized lids

George Hincapie's 2010 U.S. national championship helmets stand out from the rest of the team's standard red-and-black colorway.

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Rainbow colors

A previous season's bike for Alessandro Ballan carries the rainbow stripes signifying his 2008 world championship.

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Stopping power

Yellow SwissStop carbon-compatible brake pads on new BMC Impecs and Team Machines will stop the carbon Easton wheels without heat buildup.

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Making sense of ride data

Scott Nydam has transitioned from racer to performance advisor for the BMC Racing Team. Nydam collects and analyzes ride data from the team and serves as a conduit to chief medical officer Max Testa.

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Preparing the cockpit

Mechanic Rich Sangalli prepares to wrap the handlebar on a freshly built BMC Team Machine. Sangalli has been with Team BMC since its inception five seasons ago.

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Power transfer

SRM is one of the significant sponsors for BMC Racing Team. While this bike is equipped also with Shimano's Di2 electronic shifting, not all bikes are.

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Built for speed

Rear wheels await the next time trial. At the U.S. service course, hundreds of Easton wheels are on hand.

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Top wrench

Ian Sherburne, BMC Racing Team's chief mechanic, finishes up a phone call with a team equipment sponsor while Rich Sangalli readies another frame for building.

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Truckin'

BMC Racing Team's service-course truck is loaded for the 2011 Amgen Tour of California. It features on-board laundry and carries about 20 bikes, many dozens of wheelsets, soigneur gear—and much, much more.

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Calm, cool

While the prevailing attitude in the service course is calm, cool, and collected, overnight-shipping labels on cartons of Dura-Ace components indicate how fast work must be done.

Cynthia Buckman organizes a team dinner from her office at the service course, which features framed jerseys commemorating Cadel Evans' world championship and George Hincapie's national championship.

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By the book

The 2012 UCI Team Registration instruction book sits on Gavin Chilcott's desk. 2011 is the first season for BMC as a Division 1 UCI team.

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Of the essense

Few things escape Gavin Chilcott's attention to detail—even a stray minute on one of the clocks that features the time zones of the service course, including one for the BMC corporate office in Switzerland and another for Cadel Evans' hometown of Barwon Heads, Australia.

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Souvenirs

Route signage from legendary races across Europe adorn one wall of the service course.

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Wheels up

With another dozen wheels yet to be loaded, more than 50 wheels headed to Tour of California leave little room in the team truck for the bikes, trainers, stands, and toolboxes still to come.

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Never a dull moment

With a blur of activity in the service course, Cynthia Buckman's responsibilities include loading the team truck with everything the riders need over the course of a stage race and managing the office.

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ATOC or bust

Stacks of musettes are readied for the 2011 Amgen Tour of California feed zones, along with podium jersey decals that feature the team logo.

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